Olympia is a Unesco World Heritage site

Olympia is located in a valley in the Peloponnese and it has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In the 10th century BC, Olympia became a centre for the worship of Zeus.

The Altis – the sanctuary to the gods – has one of the highest concentrations of masterpieces from the ancient Greek world. In addition to temples, there are the remains of all the sports structures erected for the Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia every four years beginning in 776 B.C.

The athletic festivals upon which our modern Olympic games are based were held at Olympia between 776 BC and AD 393. According to Greek legend, they had been held during the early Bronze Age as well, as early as the 10th or 11th century BC. The best records date to the revival of the Festival of Zeus in 776 BC. Games were held every four years, at the beginning and middle of the so-called "Great Year," a calendric trick used to rectify the differences in solar and lunar years.

Olympia functioned as a meeting place for worship and other religious and political practices as early as the 10th century B.C. The central part of Olympia was dominated by the majestic temple of Zeus, with the temple of Hera parallel to it. The ancient stadium in Olympia could accommodate more than 40,000 spectators, while in the surrounding area there were auxiliary buildings which developed gradually up until the 4th century B.C. and were used as training sites for the athletes or to house the judges of the Games.

Today, at the start of the modern Olympics, a ceremony is held at Olympia, where a flame is rekindled using a parabolic mirror. After the flame is lit, it is carried to this altar at the Temple of Hera, where the Olympic runners begin the Torch Relay to wherever in the world the Olympics are held.